5 Things I'm Loving Right Now ...

1. Super Restorative Total Eye Concentrate - Clarins:

Over the past few months I noticed the eye cream I had been using for the past few years just wasn't keeping up (as we age - our skin requirements change) so I had been on the hunt for something that would help minimize the lines that were becoming more visible each time I looked in the mirror. After trying a few products and not be being impressed by the results ~ the Beauty consultant at my local Shopper's suggested Clarins Super Restorive Total Eye Concentrate. Lovelies I have been using it for almost six weeks and am impressed at the blurred appearance of those fine lines that had been troubling me. It's amazing how far a small amount of the product goes and how easily it penetrates into the delicate area of the eye. 

2. Onion Goggles - Restoration Hardware:

When I came across these I was a skeptical, but another customer was singing the praises of these goggles ~ I thought why not give them a try. Well ladies, if you are ready to make tears history when it comes to slicing onions - this is your answer, I kid you not. I no longer tear when slicing onions and no stinging eyes. 

3. Rouge Coco Stylo - Chanel:

I'm a lipstick gal, but when I gave the Stylo a try, it won me over. It's a lightweight gloss with intense colour and glides smoothly onto lips. I'm currently using #216 ~ Lettre and loving it!

4. Cotton Pads - Cle De Peau:

I switched from cotton balls to cotton pads, years ago, and have never looked back. I was recently gifted these luxurious cle de peau ones and let me tell you - worth the splurge. The fine milled pure cotton pads are fabulously soft and gentle - perfect for removing eye make up. Thank you Nan, I will definitely be adding these to my splurge on list.

5. Life Swap - Carol Wyer:

We have all been there - wishing we could swap our life. In Life Swap, author Carol Wyer takes us on a journey of what it would be like to live someone else's life. The adventures her characters embark on as they begin to live their "new life" will have you smiling and sometimes laughing out loud - seriously! I have been of fan of Carol's writing since coming across her blog Facing 50 With Humour, few years ago and her books are always entertaining and the characters totally relateable.  If you are in need of a pick me up or just want to tickle your funny-bone - I highly recommend you get your hands on Life Swap!

What Are You Loving Right Now?

You are the curator of your life so live it luxuriously ,

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Morning Skin Care Routine

My morning skin care routine begins with splashing my face with cool to tepid water and gently dabbing it dry with a face cloth. Lets face it ladies if you have cleansed (as you should) before going to bed - your face is not dirty, so no need to go through the cleansing process again. As Shopper's beauty consultant Gina and other skin care experts have told me over the years - cleansing in the morning strips all the goodness from your night time skin care.

Hot Summer Evenings in the City ... What I Wore - cotton and linen

The weather has been out of this world AMAZING this past week, in Toronto. Days have been sunshine filled with temperatures in the high 20s and low 30s (feeling much hotter on humid days). Evenings have remained hot; only cooling off in the early hours of  the morning just before the heat takes over again. On the odd evening a slight breeze has been welcomed, encouraging evening outings. The week-end was more of the same.

Having spent the day doing chores around the city house and various trips to Home Depot on Saturday, Mr. G. and I rewarded ourselves with dinner out. After a wonderful meal at Trattoria Nervosa the warmth of the evening called for a gelato stop at Zaza's and a stroll through Yorkville.

There is still a lot of construction taking place on Yorkville Avenue - but the finish looks close - and it's much easier to navigate your way from one side of the street to the other. The new cobblestone street is looking fabulous.

Thankfully the parkette is on Cumberland - the waterfall fountain, natural gardens, and ample places to sit (from table and chairs, sitting on the rock ledges or the big rock right beside the Cumberland subway exit) is perfect for walking off some extra calories or just extending an evening outing a little longer while enjoying this great weather!!

What I wore : blouse - Simply Errisistible : pants - Elie Tahari; wedge sandals - Stuart Weitzman  : accessories: watch - Cartier; pink bracelet - Galm&Tease; bead bracelet - Pandora Essence Collection; blue cuff bracelet, dangly blue earrings and silver & blue stone ring - finds at various Artisan markets; tote - Louis Viutton; handbag shoe decoration - gift from dear friend Mariette of Mariette's Back to Basics; eye glasses - Chanel

What has the weather been like where you live? Where do you like going in your city, to enjoy the warm summer evenings?

You are the curator of your life so make it luxurious,


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Sharing with :  Mondays: Shoe and Tell ;  Tuesdays: Turning Heads Tuesday; GarayTreasures ; Style Sessions;  Walking in Memphis; 
Wednesdays: Because Shanna Said So; Style Me Wednesday  ; The Pleated Poppy : Get Your Pretty On ; Watcha Wearing Wednesday ; SFH Wednesday  Pants;  Thursdays:  Happiness at Mid-Life

Discovering the Toronto Subway - What I Wear

If you would have told me when I first moved to Toronto 20 plus years ago that one day I would be taking the subway by choice, I would have laughed and probably suggested that you cut back on the bubbly. 

After living in the country for the past 7 years, I'm ready to give city life another chance and have been spending more time at my home in the city. When I was speaking with Mr. G. about this "adventure" of returning to the city- I said - I was going to embrace city living like I had never done before - and that included learning to take the subway!  My how life changes, here I am today taking the subway by choice. 

And since I don't usually do things the easy way ...

 I picked a snowstorm day to venture out and "explore" the subway.

As drivers slipped and slid on the snow covered streets ...

I made my way warm and comfortably beneath the city.  And what's even more amazing about taking the subway is all the underground paths. Once you learn the stops - you can move around the city without venturing out into the cold. If you are lucky to live steps from the subway and work within the subway paths you can literally avoid the winter weather.

I'm learning comfort dressing is key when it comes to taking the subway. My Cole Haan boots, cross body bag from a Paris market, Gucci sunglasses (for when I venture outside), Coach gloves and Michael Kors ear muffs have become my go to winter accessories on my subway days.

My Kenneth Cole winter coat has proven to have been a great investment. It keeps me warm and has a hood that can be easily pulled up when the temps drop, the wind blows and the snow begins to fall. My Ralph Lauren scarf keeps my neck warm.

My pink tones Burberry scarf and black leather Soho shoulder bag - Gucci and Chanel eyeglasses (for indoors).

And what's a subway outing without stopping to enjoy a hot chocolate and treat.

You are the curator of your life so live it luxuriously ,

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Because Shanna Said So

The Pleated Poppy Patti -Visible Mondays Style Me Wednesday

Shoe & Tell -Style Nudge

Be a Little Different ...

Be a Little Different by High Heeled Life 
(click  above links for item details)

Most people would play it safe choosing black footwear, and a soft fabric such as cashmere for a sweater garment. Not Me! Give me a little colour with black &white and add a little edge to a delicate outfit with a hard material like leather.

What little twists do you add to your outfits, to make them YOU?


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A Wardrobe for a New You... (a new series)

If you are a regular reader of High Heeled Life, you already know Coco Chanel is one of my favourite women of inspiration. Mademoiselle Chanel was not only a brilliant designer and pioneer of women's fashion, she was a graduate of the "University of Life" and lived life much like a chameleon, adapting to the detours life threw at her ~ reinventing herself and creating a new life as required.

Her creations are still relevant in fashion today and will continue to be for decades to come. Style is more than just the clothes that meet today's "fashion (trends)", it is the sum of classic, timeless pieces, quality fabrics, well made garments which create one's personal Style and will continuously  feel in "fashion (trends)" year after year regardless of what is paraded on run ways or seen in magazines as the fashion du jour.

In Mademoiselle's time consumers thrived for quality not quantity and were willing to wait weeks for their coveted wardrobe pieces.The anticipation created by the time it took for a piece to be completed, made the garment that much more special and personal for the consumer. They also knew, with proper care their prized garments would last a life time. Well worth the investment of both time and money.

image source 

In today's world of Instant Gratification, waiting for and investing in well made wardrobe pieces has almost become instinct. People are willing to pay for pieces that are constructed of lesser quality fabrics and often poor workmanship (made by computerized machines) to satisfy their "must have now" thinking.  This mentality contributes to a closet filled with pieces that are not only poor workmanship, the quality and longevity of the piece's fabric give the garment limited life span. These closets become over stuffed with a potpourri of pieces that do not relate to each other; leaving the closet owner screaming the famous phrase "I have nothing to wear" as they scurry to get to work or a social function or to little legal practice on time.

Another challenge that many face today is the their ever changing role in life; single gal, wife, mother, grandmother, career gal, stay at home mom, divorcee, widow, and the wardrobe requirements that change with each role.

Perhaps like me, once a career driven, fashionista ~ I found myself house bound and with my wardrobe consisting of mainly pieces required for a corporate career, not very practical for the physical therapy that now was my life. Maybe you have been a stay at home mom who is going back to work in an office - your husband's sweat shirts and fuzzy slippers you have been living in just won't cut it. Or you find yourself now single (single parent) after years of marriage and for the first time in a long time you are able to wear high heels ~ without worrying about towering over your ex.

No matter the change, or whether it was planned/anticipated or not ... we are all at a cross road. We know things are changing, we are changing ... but have no idea what this new life, or us is going to look like. Well let's start with our closets!

Over the next few weeks I'll be writing a post series called A Wardrobe for a New You, where I will share with you the strategies that I used to get a handle on the contents of my closet, making it easier to get dressed and letting the world think I had confidence (even when inside I am as lost as a person can be, at times).

Your life isn't pleasing you?

Let's take our cue from Mademoiselle Chanel...  

Let's create our New Self and Life one step and hanger at a time!

Join me next time for discovering your STYLE at this time in your life.

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Creating A New Style ...

Most people are aware the clothes they put on each day silently speak volumes to the world, about their personality; how they see themselves; lifestyle; where they are in life and the social group they are (or want to be) part of. So, each day they are careful and meticulous about there wardrobe choices, regardless of their economic standing. This is of course "assuming" they are living life with no major detours, crisis or drama in sight.

Click here for outfit details

Looking back on my days working in the corporate world; I would be considering these options for my autumn wardrobe update. With a change of shoes and accessories this outfit would easily transition from day to an evening out, for cocktails or dinner with friends.
This outfit however, is totally impracticable for the daily life I now live and have lived for almost 6 years.

I can't speak for everyone going through a life detour, crisis or drama filled life... but I can tell you that my wardrobe went from the look above to this:

via

... day in and day out with little if any care for how people saw me. Yes in the early months post my accident this may have been understandable ... but this look was only up graded by sweat pants and t-shirts with runners for the following few years. Attending functions that required more than what I had become comfortable in, became a nightmare of anxiety, which only added to my already depressed outlook of life and this kept me in the catch 20/20 - until I found the strength to create a new wardrobe style I was stuck in my new "acquired style" and until I created a new wardrobe style, the strength just wasn't coming.

Via 
Lilly Pulitzer website click here

When I started blogging I was introduced to Lilly Pulitzer dresses which were a great help for creating a summer wardrobe of more than sweats. Being a dress no thought was required to match and upper or bottom piece; and they were super comfy.Unfortunately, not so practical for our Canadian autumns and winters. Being out of sweats, gave a little lift to my flat shoe wearing days.


It would take a couple more years before I would start creating a style that would better fit my new life. It than took me another year to actually transition to it. And this my friends is the  inspiration look I've designed to be my practicable look :

Click here for outfit details

I may no longer require clothes for a corporate career ~ but I still have the need to look polished and presentable for myself. Coordinating pieces of my wardrobe remains a challenge for me ~ my brain can become exhausted, quickly trying to figure out what goes with what. To make getting dressed easier with the help of loving family, friends and a devoted care team, we have come with strategies to help me put my best foot forward in the wardrobe area. I'll be sharing these strategies in future posts.

For now I just hope to inspire anyone who finds themselves lounging around in their pajamas or sweats day in day out, to see how with just a pair of khaki pants, white shirt and loafers they too can give their day a lift.                               

Looking at this inspiration outfit I created, I  think I would  add a scarf! 

Would you add a scarf?

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